St Matthew’s CofE Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The new leadership team is successfully driving improvements after recent instability in staffing and a decline in outcomes.

As a result, current pupils are making good progress. The headteacher and the senior leadership team have a clear vision for the school and are highly effective in putting this vision into action. Governors are knowledgeable and make a good contribution to shaping the strategic direction of the school.

Since the last inspection, leaders have put the right actions in place to improve the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. As a result, the quality of teaching is good and standards are now rising. The curric...ulum gives pupils a range of experiences that prepare them well for the next stage of their education.

The school makes good use of its excellent grounds to enrich the curriculum. The teaching of art and music is particularly strong and pupils achieve well in these areas. The curriculum is underpinned by the very good work which staff do to promote pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.

The school's values of 'compassion, respect and peace' permeate all aspects of school life. Parents are overwhelmingly positive about the school and appreciate the work that staff do to help their children learn well. They know that the strong relationships between all members of the school result in pupils feeling safe.

Pupils' personal development, behaviour and welfare are good. Pupils behave well in lessons and around school and are polite and friendly. Pupils say that any bullying incidents are dealt with swiftly.

The majority of current pupils make good progress from their starting points in a range of subjects. This is not consistently rapid enough in some aspects, such as for the most able disadvantaged pupils. Provision for pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities has improved and the progress of current pupils is increasing.

The new special educational needs coordinator has rapidly got to grips with the challenges of the role. However, she has not yet had time to have sufficient impact on outcomes, including improving the attendance of this group of pupils. The progress of children in the early years is improving so that more of them are meeting the expectations for their age.

Occasionally, children are not given enough support and challenge to extend their learning.

Information about this school

Since the last inspection there has been significant changes to the leadership of the school. The headteacher was appointed two years ago and all other senior staff were appointed within the last 12 months.

The school meets requirements on the publication of specified information on its website. St Matthew's CofE is an average-sized primary school. The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is above average.

The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is higher than average. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is higher than average. The proportion of pupils receiving support for special education needs and/or disabilities is twice as high as national average.

The proportion of pupils with a statement of special educational needs or an education, health and care plan is higher than average. The number of pupils entering or leaving the school at other than the usual times is above average. In addition to a breakfast club, the school offers a wide range of extra-curricular clubs for pupils.

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